bush gardens

[craigs bride]

i have to drive when i go over in sept (first time ) so i am worried about driving long distances ..would you say its doddle to drive down to tampa or would it be better for us to catch a bus ..which would cost us $10 each..(do i pay for a 4yr and baby ? ) and being an hours drive possibly ....
any advice would be welcome .

 

[igk]

It's about 70 miles from WDW to Busch Gardens. It's mostly down the I-4, so shouldn't be more than an hour and a half's drive. If you have a car anyway then I can't see any reason not to do that.
If you don't have satnav you can easily get directions from Google Maps or Bing Maps or whatever and print them off before you go (look up both directions), but it's pretty straightforward.

Edit: contrats on the wedding

 

[wayneg]

I have never had a problem finding it, although some posts I have read say its a bit awkward
It takes me exactly 1 hour from LBV if roads are quiet.
If you are buying Flex tickets the bus is free, not sure what age if you are paying. The bus would be too late for me, I like to get there for opening, I think I read the bus gets there after 10am. You are also tied to their leaving time.

 

[kevin harrison]

It's far easier driver in Florida than in the UK. For the most part the biggest hazard driving in the US is boredom. The journey to Busch is a straight road (I - 4) for the most part. Go for it, it's simple.

 

[~Piglet~]

We drove to Clearwater and even with roadworks on the I-4 we didn't find it difficult. I suppose it may depend on what kind of driver you are, my Mum for example will never go on a motorway and at the thought of driving abroad

 

[WiganTony]

As Wayne has noted, you are tied to the bus times which would be an absolute nightmare should your children decide they don't want to stay, or you find that you are enjoying it so much you don't want to leave when the bus does!!

We have visited three times, driven each time and it is fairly straightforward to get to. The one suggestion I would make is to print out directions including the junction numbers, and count down on the I-4 as you tend to find that the junctions suddenly appear with little warning.

 

[craigs bride]

thanks for all advice im sure i will be ok ...its just the lack of cofindence i think in driving i dont like doing it here to much but do as i have to ferry the kids and hubby around !

 

[Gingernut]

We drove to St Petes Beach a couple of years ago and its no prob. Much easier roads than ours. BG is straight off the I4 west and up another road from what i remember. I'm sure you'll be fine. Its kinda hard to get lost on their roads and you could always stop somewhere and ask

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Drive around a little bit in Orlando to build your confidence up before you hit the road for BG.

It is a really easy journey. Never quite understood how so many people get lost - the US roads have the brown tourist information signs like we do and it's very well signposted.

Enjoy your day there - one of our fave parks is BG

 

[Rascal1003]

In contrast to the previous post, I think Busch is probably the poorest signed of all the parks.
Those in the Orlando area are extremely well signed , but the signs for Busch are a little contradictory. You pass a big advertisig bord for the park on the I-4 and it says to use junction 9 (or whatever the number is) but when you gt to that junction thre is no indication which direction to go. If you stay on the I-4 then there are signs for a different exit.

Definitely not the easiest place to find on the first visit if you dont go armed with the appropriate map! However, a very easy drive and the car will give you the freedom to make your own decisions regarding return time and also to stop for dinner en-route.

Driving in Florida is as simple as I think driving can be. I love driving there and when we went in 2005 for our wedding, even my [terrified] Mum found it a doddle after a day or two !!